Be Adventurous

Openly: Without concealment, deception, or prevarication, especially where these might be expected; frankly or honestly.

Confidence: The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

Respect: A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

We take our core values seriously at Clickstop, and Communicating Openly with Confidence and Respect helps keep the entire company moving in the right direction.

Communicating Openly with Confidence and Respect is an expectation at Clickstop, but is also second nature to all who work here. We all work so well together, it just happens, though doesn’t make it any less important. In order for us to improve as teammates, as individuals, and as a company, we have to hold ourselves accountable to great communication. We are always seeking to improve and grow, and through this core value, and efforts made by individuals throughout the company, we are hoping to do just that.

One person who has been running a program to get good and timely communication and feedback from employees is Britni Graham. Britni is our Talent & Engagement Specialist and has been with the company for 4 years. For almost a year, Britni has been conducting Pulse Surveys for our company. The Pulse Surveys are set up to… well, take Clickstop’s pulse! We want employees to have a way to anonymously give feedback around various topics. We then use that information provided by employees to strengthen or adjust things throughout the company.

Britni gave us a closer look into the processes and goals of the Pulse Surveys. Check it out!

Tell me about your role at Clickstop.

“I work to get out and promote Clickstop. I conduct phone interviews; screen resumes and partner with company leaeders to make hiring decisions that are highly aligned with Clickstop and our Core Values. I drive strategy for the development of high employee engagement and programs that support those initiatives; with this I am responsible for the development, organization, and administration of gathering the pulse of employee engagement and quantifying that information for the company as a whole.”

Why did Clickstop start doing Pulse Surveys?

“I had identified a need for the company to have real-time feedback. Our current avenues for this served the company well when it was smaller, but as we grow we need to ensure that our efforts to connect people and make them feel heard and appreciated are held in the highest regard. This is a way to connect leadership and the entire company with what employees are thinking, feeling, and perceiving.”

What type of information are we trying to find out?

“We want the good and the constructive. We want to promote open communication about various topics from company safety efforts to satisfaction with company leadership.”

How does Clickstop use the results?

“Leaders and contributors alike are given the results. We set an expectation of open and transparent communication, so all in the company can see how any individual team is doing. Putting the information into action is an expectation. Leadership uses their report to discuss themes that occur on teams; sometimes this can mean something needs to happen or a course needs to be adjusted because what is discovered.”

What are your overall goals when conducting these surveys?

“To embrace and cultivate a culture of open feedback. When people feel heard and connected, levels of engagement go up. A highly engaged workforce means that people have both an emotional and professional connection to their work and the organization. Clickstop works very hard to hire great people, and we have a responsibility as a company to create an environment that fosters everything that we stand for in our Core Values.”

Pick a Core Value and explain how it ties into the Pulse Surveys.

“I have two in mind. Communicate Openly with Confidence and Respect – None of what we do here or plan on doing in the future would be possible without sharing what we know, what we think, and what ideas we have. Personally, I am driven by Be Adventurous, Embrace and DRIVE CHANGE – specifically driving change. I am always eager to see the impact in what I am involved in. I am committed to making Clickstop even better than it is today.”

Where do you see Clickstop in 5 years? How do the Pulse Surveys help get us there?

I see Clickstop at least doubled in size, with the possibility of other locations. If this is the case, we will have the task of ensuring all are heard and connected. We have to set ourselves up with a sustainable program that keeps what is important to the experts that we hire, top of mind for the company. Pulse can play a huge part in the future of Clickstop.

As you can see, Clickstop has programs and people in place to keep the company moving forward. Pulse Surveys will continue to help us improve our processes, keep employees engaged, and help bring forward the best possible Clickstop.

Clickstop owns and operates several different brands, our biggest being US Cargo Control. The majority of our employees work under the USCC brand, doing a variety of work. From talking with customers and making sales, to picking and packing orders, we employ some incredibly talented people to make it happen. Two of those people are Leslie and Allen from the purchasing department.

Our purchasing department… well, they purchase! They are the ladies and gents behind the scenes sourcing products, filling our warehouse, and helping us find great quality items at good prices. The team works closely with all teams in the company and help keep us efficient and nimble.

Recently, two of the Purchasing employees made a trip to China to visit a few of our vendors. Leslie Lowdermilk, our senior buyer who has been here for over 6 years, and Allen DeHeck, our Customs Compliance Manager and Procurement Specialist, who has been here 8 years. (Whew! Someone is going to have to talk to Allen about shortening up that title!) Allen and Leslie were representing Clickstop while they were in China for 11 days, touring many factories and experiencing the culture.

So, we had to find out the details of this trip from Leslie and Allen. Check out what they had to say!

We have a lot of awesome employees at Clickstop.

Actually, we have so many great people, we often hear from employees that their co-workers are the best part about their job. How amazing to be part of a workplace that has such high amounts of camaraderie. When you find a career that allows you to feel accomplished in your work AND be surrounded by people you like, you hold that close. It is definitely something special at Clickstop. With so many high achievers here, it is hard to decide who to write a blog post about next! (a good problem to have if you ask me.) But not to worry, this time another Clickstop employee suggested we feature April Kress!

When we think about hard working team players, April definitely fits the bill.

April started at Clickstop in August 2016. “I was looking for a new opportunity and my “cousin” Austin Dopp (one of our talented sales guys on the Bing team) reached out to tell me Clickstop was hiring.” said April. “I knew a couple of people that worked here and knew they were happy and really enjoyed the atmosphere. So I decided to give it a shot!”

It was a move we are all happy that April took, because now she is making waves in our manufacturing department, specifically on the cargo net team.

“April always has a great attitude. She loves to see the team succeed and is a huge contributor to our overall goals of the team and company.” said Dean Vrba. As a long time member of the cargo net team, Dean works with April closely. “April is someone who Promotes a Winning Team Spirit as she works throughout the day. She believes in working hard and playing hard, making her the kind of employee Clickstop wants, that the cargo net team wants.”

April’s biggest goals at Clickstop are to learn, keep meeting goals, and to keep growing. These goals shined bright at the beginning of the year when she was working on a unique cargo net for one of our customers.

Nothing But Net!

In early 2017, the cargo net team had one of their biggest nets to sew yet. The team was tasked in making a 26′ x 22′ net for a company that specializes in creating obstacle courses for fitness. This net was a challenge that April was up for. The net ended up weighing about 180 lbs.

“The biggest challenge was the weight of the net – I broke 3 or 4 needles just because it was so heavy.” said April. But what a feeling to get it all completed and shipped out. “I was relieved once it was finished; I felt very accomplished. But most of all, I wanted it just to be shipped out of here!”

“I was very confident in April.” said Dean. “April had been sewing plenty of stock nets, so she had the confidence. In my mind she was ready for a bigger challenge. With the help of Holly, we gave her positive support, so she was not going to fail.”

Be Adventurous – Embrace and Drive Change

April is a big proponent of the core value Be Adventurous – Embrace and Drive Change. When she got this huge order to sew, she knew being adventurous was part of taking on such a massive challenge. “Change is good and life is easier if you roll with the punches. Changes bring great opportunities!”

As a company that wants to see employees grow and reach further than they thought possible, it is very exciting to see people like April step up. We love to see employees learn, set and meet goals, and just become better versions of themselves. Without those who Think Big and Make it Happen, Embrace and Drive Change, or Promote a Winning Team Spirit, we would not be where we are today. Finally, we asked April where she sees herself in five years.

“Hopefully still working with a great team like Cargo Nets, and possibly in a new role – five years is a long time but I will definitely still be within the company. Who knows where we will be by then!”